Lucia, Lucia

Lucia Sartori is a first generation Italian living in Greenwich Village with her parents and four older brothers. A career girl, working in the customs department of B Altman, she is the Village beauty and engaged to be married to a respectable young man until she realizes that the life of a housewife, completely under the thumb of her mother in law, is not a life she wants. Over the next year she makes some decisions that stun everyone and change the course of her life forever.

If you look on my bookshelves at home you'll find them mostly populated by great literature and epic fantasy. This book is neither, but it stole my heart. Trigiani masterfully understands how to use the English language to express great ranges in emotion. One show more minute I'd be laughing out loud only to find big fat tears rolling down my face just five pages later. And while Lucia was by far the most well-developed character in the book, even those who filled in the rest of her story managed to tug at my heartstrings. They were each wonderfully written, even when they weren't fully realized, particularly Rosemary and Lucia's parents. Throw in an engaging storyline, yummy recipes, and a real sense of 1950s New York City and you definitely have a winner. So while it might not be great literature, it was still a great novel and one of the best books I've read all year. I'm sure that I will find myself reaching for Adriana Trigiani's books repeatedly in the future. show less

In 1950, Lucia Sartori is the most beautiful girl in Greenwich Village, New York. She is a talented dressmaker at an exclusive store, but is expected to give up her job to get married and become a housewife. However, Lucia has other ideas, and is determined to be as independent as possible. That is until handsome and charismatic John Talbot comes into the store and sweeps her off her feet. Lucia falls hard and falls fast, but she and John have several obstacles to overcome, not least her very traditional family.

I always enjoy Adriana Trigiani’s books, and this one was no exception. The story is bookended by two short chapters set in the modern day, when an older Lucia tells her story to her young neighbour. Personally I thought the show more book would have been better without this framing device, as the ending (of the whole book, rather than the ending of the story of events in the 1950s) seemed a bit contrived, but I really enjoyed the main body of the story.

The character of Lucia was developed well, as were those of her family and friends, especially her boss Delmarr, who I particularly liked. It was interesting to read about Lucia’s life in a large Italian immigrant family, and to understand her conflict between what was expected of her, and what she wanted to do with her life. There were a number of twists and turns which I did not expect, and Lucia’s story did not end the way that I expected it to, but was better because of it. However, without wanting to reveal any spoilers, Lucia did make a decision towards the end of the book, which seemed to undermine decisions and plans which she had made earlier, which was something of a shame, although it was probably understandable under the circumstances.

It is a cosy and undemanding tale, and perfect for curling up with on the sofa. If you are a fan of Adriana Trigiani or such books, you won’t be disappointed. show less

It's not like this book didn't have some things going for it - - loved the 50's New York setting, and I also enjoyed the free flowing, easy reading writing style. But, I just don't really enjoy books like this one as a general rule. It's just a little too trite and unoriginal. There's a lot of descriptions of food (which I enjoy) and clothes (which I don't).

The plot revolves around Lucia, a high end, beautiful seamstress at B'Altman's who still lives at home with her large Italian family. The suspense is - - will Lucia get married and to whom? She's more of a career-oriented woman in a time where that wasn't the norm. She's a very likeable character so I was drawn into the story of her love life, but it's just a very straightforward show more tale, and there's nothing about it - not the writing, not the story, nothing, that elevates it. Her decision making is highly questionable, and that's the part that basically creates the most entertainment.

Romance really isn't my thing when it comes to a reading choice, and so honestly, I'm not sure I'm a good person to review a book like this one. I think many people would find it to be a lovely summer read . . . show less

Lucia Sartori has it all, a loving family, a budding career as a designer in B. Altman’s custom department and a wonderful fiance , but in the early 1950’s most women couldn’t have it all. Especially if she was from a traditional Italian family, then she would be expected to give up her career and become a housewife, one usually subjugated to her mother-in-law. Daughters and daughters-in-law knew how to be dutiful. This is not how Lucia envisioned the future. She made a life altering decision to defy convention. Somewhat later her head is turned by an extremely handsome man she meets by chance in the store. He is the beginning and end of her best expectations, causing her and all the Sartoris much heartbreak.

This book is a show more wonderful period piece set in Greenwich Village with the central family, the Sartoris, a very large Italian family with four sons and one daughter, bound not only by blood but love and tradition. All the sons worked with their father, Antonio, in the Groceria , the family owned business. Lucia follows after her grandmother with her exceptional sewing abilities and eye for design. The story tells of the loyalty and duty to family that was taken for granted by Italian parents and children of the era. All of the family interactions are so spot on, described perfectly as to attitudes and social customs of the day. It is extremely easy to feel the emotional impact of all that happens to these characters. No one can write about Italian families as well as Trigiani. She grew up with such a family and all her writing seems to come straight from the heart. Everything from locations to objects of clothing, and everyone she describes is done to perfection, all the characters being well fleshed out. Her adjectives are constantly right on with just the perfect nuance. Whether it is joy or sorrow, Trigiani makes the reader feel all the emotions to their very core. As usual, there are numerous sub plots that are so interesting, the reader is constantly charmed by the scenarios. Another not- to- be-put- down- until- it- is- finished book. show less

I absolutely loved this story! With a few minor changes, Lucia could have been my mom. A compelling theme to me in a story is an exploration of what could have been. Lucia, Lucia is a story that touches on that theme. Lucia is the most beautiful girl in Greenwich Village and the only daughter in an Italian Catholic family. She longs to be a career woman yet she also loves the close ties of her family. The book begins with Lucia as an elderly woman, telling the story of her life to a young neighbor. What will happen to Lucia? Will she choose to marry the handsome young Italian boy next door or will she pick the suave rising business man? The end of the book left me in tears; I'm a sap for lost chances and missed opportunities. Much show more better than any of the Stone Gap books; I recommend this book. show less

Kit lives by herself in an apartment, with "Aunt Lu", the landlord's "old maid" aunt upstairs. When Kit visits Lucia one day, she hears Lu's story. A story of an Italian-American girl in the 1950s, who wants more than a husband and a family... she wants a career as a seamstress. She loves her job and won't give it up, even for her finacee Dante.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved that Lucia stood up for what she wanted out of life, though I had to agree with her father on one of her choices. Most of the characters were really brought to life - Lucia's family, in particular, I thought, and her friend/boss Delmarr. I really enjoyed the interaction between them all. This is the first book I've read by Trigiani, but I definitely want to show more read more. show less

Kit is a playwright living in New York. She hasn't had much luck so far, and lives in an apartment in a rather dilapidated old building. She is on nodding acquaintance with other residents, but finds herself strangely drawn to an elderly lady known to everyone as Aunt Lu.

Kit - somewhat reluctantly - accepts an invitation to tea with Aunt Lu, and am amazing friendship begins. Lu - whose name is really Lucia - starts to talk about her life as a young Italian growing up in America in the 1950s. She works in a dress design shop, and is engaged to an upstanding young man.. but realises that she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life as a down-trodden wife. So she breaks off her engagement...

It took me several chapters to get into this show more book, not helped by the fact that I kept expecting it to return to the present; this didn't in fact happen until almost the end. However, I soon realised that Lucia's story was a fascinating one in its own right, giving wonderful insights into the way a young woman in this situation would be torn between family loyalty and modern concepts of equality and following one's heart. There's some tension, some romance, lots of family ups and downs, and something of a bittersweet conclusion... which then leads back into contemporary times, and at last I understood why the book begins as it does with Kit meeting Lucia.

By the end I was enjoying this quite a bit, although it took me a long time to reach the stage of wanting to read more than a chapter at a time. Really three and a half stars would be fairer. show less